A dispute has emerged following claims by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration that Delta State’s debt burden has been significantly reduced by over 40 percent within the past year.
Barr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Communications, stated during a radio broadcast in Lagos that the governor managed to cut the state’s debt by more than N180 billion while also saving over N205 billion through prudent financial practices.
However, the All Progressive Congress (APC) has dismissed these claims as misleading, arguing that they are designed to mislead the people of Delta State. In a statement issued over the weekend, the APC Publicity Secretary in Delta State, Valentine Onojeghuo, described the governor’s assertions as “a pack of lies” intended to pacify Deltans increasingly worried about the state’s financial health. The statement, titled “Delta State: A Tale of Misgovernance and Deceit,” challenged the accuracy of the administration’s reported debt reduction.
“The dubious claims of the Delta State Government and its officials that Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration has reduced the debt profile of the state from over N500 billion to about N370 billion as a laudable achievement is the most shameful lie ever peddled by any stretch of imagination,” Onojeghuo declared. He further criticized the state’s financial management over the past 20 years under the PDP, noting that despite Delta State being one of the states with the highest FAAC allocations and internally generated revenue (IGR), there is little to show for it.
According to Onojeghuo, the state became the most heavily indebted during Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration, where billions of naira were allegedly acquired through dubious loans approved by the State House of Assembly under Sheriff Oborevwori’s leadership as Speaker. This trend, he noted, continued until the end of Okowa’s government, with most of these loans allegedly benefiting a bank in which Okowa is said to have vested interests.
“The truth behind the state’s debt reduction claims by officials of the state government is that over half of federal revenue accruals to the state is being debited at source in strict compliance with irrevocable standing payment order already issued by the state government and used to service these debts that were piled up by both Okowa and Oborevwori, leaving the state with no funds to execute capital projects,” the statement read.
Onojeghuo also criticized the lack of significant capital projects in the state, pointing out that aside from the Effurun and Enerhen flyover projects, there is no major development to speak of. He highlighted that despite receiving a backlog of 13% derivation funds from former President Muhammadu Buhari, which amounted to billions, the Okowa administration failed to utilize these funds effectively, unlike former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, who used similar funds to construct over six flyovers.
The statement further painted a bleak picture of Delta State’s infrastructure, citing decrepit roads and an increasing rate of kidnappings. It also criticized the state government’s failure to address the humanitarian crisis affecting pensioners, who are owed billions in arrears and are dying without receiving their retirement benefits.
“The insensitivity of this administration is so mind-boggling and without a humane face. No action has been taken by the state government to bring relief and succour to the people of the state in this harsh economic situation that we find ourselves in,” the statement concluded, urging the governor to take responsibility and act decisively.
